6.30.2011

Blessed with ART!

We got our house-warming gift from Jeff Hanson this week!!!

This canvas is titled: "Kersten Haus Rooftop", How perfect!

Jeff is also being featured in People Magazine soon- the photo shoot was this week!  I updated his video to show his most recent painting sold at auction for $15,000 at the North Texas Make-A-Wish gala!  He has now raised over $325,000 for charities that have "touched" his life!

Check out his video:



Since we recently added our laundry closet, I had to move the paintings my Nana painted of & for us to a new spot.  Now much more predominantly displayed, they are in the hallway as you walk in the house.



This is the painting she did of tomatoes that she gave us after we got married!
[it proudly hangs in our kitchen]



 See more of my Nana's work (Barbara Frets Simmons) at these sites:

6.29.2011

Laundry Closet

When we bought the house our washer was in the kitchen and the dryer was in the garage.  Since the homeowners took their machines, we have been using my parents' laundry room for a year now!  We remodeled the kitchen and bath before we fully moved in and elongated a stretch of counter space over where the washing machine used to be and added recycling underneath.  Click here to see!  

Before we laid the new floors we had to saw-cut the concrete slab and dig a trench to the future laundry area for plumbing.  This was a crazy process and Matt got very dirty & sweaty!  The plumber had to dig atleast 3 ft down to find the plumbing that was going to the sink area!  Then I filled the trench with concrete...






OK, before I show you our new laundry adventure, I have to show you this picture (below) of Matt in his toolbelt with the urge to make chocolate chip cookies during a night of construction!  Too cute.


The next few photos are of us working on the laundry closet from inside the garage 
(the back of the wall in our breakfast area)




Us framing the floor, walls, and trying to look tough!  



 From inside the kitchen:



We did everything except for the electrical and plumbing.  Here, we already installed the drywall and I mudded/sanded the seams


Painted, baseboard in, and seamless linoleum on the floor 


With trim around the opening, threshold stained and down, and our NEW WASHER & DRYER!!!!
(Maytag front-loads from Nebraska Furniture Mart)
[I still plan on adding a cabinet, hanging rod, and countertop in the future]


With our bi-fold doors on and the house cleaned up!



Finished!  ...almost! 

6.26.2011

Front Porch & Driveway


This is the way our house looked when we bought it; with hedges on either side of the door, a cracked driveway, and old sidewalk to the door.


Then... we had a water main break under our driveway!  Luckily, it was the city pipes to other neighbors and the bottom half of the drive was paid for.  But we decided to go ahead and re-pave the entire driveway and sidewalk.


That became tearing out the hedges under the window and making a large front porch to our door!
(please excuse the pink house, it will be painted someday soon!)



The front porch with my new 4-piece steal-of-a-set patio furniture from World Market for $199 (there's another chair not shown), a rug from Grandinroad, pillows from Pier 1 Imports


We lined the front of the patio with fountain grass and grey river rock


My new metal cb2 planters with orange Hibiscus, purple/pink Petunias, Blue Flossflower/Ageratum, lime-green Creeping Jenny, and I'm not sure what the spiky/soft purple flower in front is called.


 My tall planter with fiber optic grass, and purple "spikes" (what my mom and I call them)

Kobenhavn



This is a 12 x 24" canvas I did for dear friends resembling Copenhagen, Denmark.  It was my friend, Britt's, gift to his wife, Carly, for their anniversary; they studied abroad there.  It is acrylic paint with heavy gloss.